User blog:Willofeywa/The Darkest Mirror
The world is beginning to realize that the more we find out, the more is revealed that we don't really know. In reality, the only thing greater than the things we CAN learn, are the things that we haven't yet, and we are also beginning to realize that it will always be this way. Each answer only raises more questions, but to me that is the beauty of life, not it's flaw. The sheer exhilarating uncertainty that comes with being alive. Hundreds of years ago, that unceartainty was primarily focused on survival. Now survival is much more assured than it was, thus resulting in the current population problems. But with that security comes new challenges. The time that was otherwise spent on survival can be directed to further questions like the how and why of existence. You have seen it over the course of the millenia. Advancements that make life easier for humanity, in the sense that less time, energy and attention be spent on survival, have allowed us to open the doors to every new discovery our species has made. One thing leading to another in a chain of progress leading inexorably to... And that is the sentence we can't finish. Despite every advancement in human history, from discovering fire to the microprocessor, our future is always uncertain. But that is what makes us human, to be able to adapt, survive, and eventually overcome. Now however, like every past obstacle in our way we are facing our greatest challenge yet: ourselves. What happens when you become your own worst enemy? The only enemy is an internal one, because truly we ourselves have become the greatest threat to our continued existence. The darkest mirror is the one you turn on yourself. It is difficult to view yourself both as an individual and part of something bigger. We already know we are individuals, but how do you quantify the impact of one person on billions? Like raindrops, everything in our lives both contributes and accumulates. It can be anything from the waste you produce in your lifetime or something harder to measure like the impact you have had on other peoples lives. But it does add up, the good and the bad. The trick is being able to turn that mirror away from everyone else, and turn it upon yourself without looking away. Too many people live their lives under the assumption that they can only be right. We can learn a lot about ourselves by how we learn from others. Confucius taught to make each person you meet your teacher: See what is good about them and emulate that in your life. See what is bad in them, and fix that in yourself. It helped me realize that the people I thought were my enemies were really just an externalization of what I didn't like about myself, and what I might be afraid of becomming. You then realize that fighting with them is pointless, and the only battle to fight, and in reality the only one worth winning, is against that part of you that you see in the darkened mirror. The beauty of humanity is that by critiquing the whole, you also critique yourself, because like it or not you contribute, for good or for ill. I have never liked any person who was not willing to hold themselves to the same standards that they expect of others. The best way to move a chain is to lead it from the front, not push it from behind. Start with yourself, and through that journey of self discovery you will find that others around you will do the same. The world, sadly needs a hand to hold to pull itself out of this spiral as we are circling the drain. We keep waiting for a hero, a savior, a shining example to follow. The trick is to be your own leader, and follow yourself. Go out and accomplish something, even something small. When you aren't doing, read or write. Expand your mind a little each day. Life is for the living, so go out and live! Do this, and you will find that the dark mirror will get a little brighter each day. Irayo Willofeywa 07:21, July 6, 2010 (UTC) Category:Blog posts